Another two weeks have gone by already! WOW! So much to share...I'm gonna get right to it after some pictures highlighting the great work going on in our schools since my last blog post - just love that active learning!
UPCOMING SCHOOL CALENDAR REMINDERS!
As we enter into the holiday season, I thought a reminder about our school's calendar might be in order. Here are the highlights for November and December!:
* There will be NO SCHOOL next week 11/22, 11/23 and 11/24 due to the Thanksgiving break. Monday and Tuesday of next week (11/20& 11/21) will be full school days.
* We will have an early release day on Wed. Dec. 6, 2023 so please plan on ER schedules for this day.
*. Our Holiday break will begin with NO SCHOOL on 12/22. There is also NO SCHOOL 12/25 - 12/29 for the following week and NO SCHOOL on Monday, Jan. 1, 2024. We will return to school on Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2024.
You can always view our full school calendar on our website by CLICKING HERE and you can also follow along on our district calendar found on the home page of our website - www.gorhamschools.org.
UPDATE ON DISTRICT WIDE SUBCOMMITTEE WORK
This year the Gorham Schools have several committees working on several "bigger ticket" items that I wanted to make sure the general public was aware of. There are FIVE that I'd like to highlight in this section. Those are:
1. Code of Conduct Revision Committee - the purpose of this committee is to revitalize and refresh the Gorham Schools Code of Conduct (Gorham School Committee Policy JICDA) originally developed 20+ years ago. The existing document continues to provide a strong foundation for School Community Expectations and Core Values that is utilized daily in the Gorham Schools. The Steering Committee will facilitate a community-wide review of the Code of Conduct to ensure the document reflects today’s contexts while reinforcing our Core Values for another 20+ years.
2. PK-12 Alternative Education Vision Committee - The purpose of this committee is to develop a comprehensive K-12 vision & plan for Alternative Learners within the Gorham School Department that ensures their educational needs are met.
3. Fiscal Sustainability Committee - The purpose of this committee is to understand the existing financial landscape for the Town of Gorham and the Gorham School Department. To evaluate the future financial landscape, and to use this knowledge to make recommendations for how to maintain sustainable taxes while continuing to manage the present and future growth of our community over the next 5-10 years. (NOTE: This committee has not yet met. Its first meeting is planned for February, 2024)
4. Anti-Racism & Equity Committee - The purpose of this committee is to advise and support Gorham Leadership on the implementation of:
a) Equity Education Throughout the District
b) Equity Policies and Toolkits
c) Culture changes towards Equity, and Anti-Racism
The School Committee stands on the principle of rejecting all forms of “racism as (it is) destructive to the district’s mission, vision, values, and goals.” The Anti-Racism & Equity Committee continues these efforts by establishing a path to eliminate all forms of racism, intolerance, inequity, and disparity in the school system. Ensuring each school creates a welcoming and equitable culture, with an inclusive environment and reflects and celebrates the diversity of the district’s student population, their families, the community, and an environment that reflects the Code of Conduct.
5. Teaching & Learning Committee - The purpose of this committee is:
To stay informed and up to date about the successes/challenges of the district in terms of student achievement, student/staff supports and impacts of specific programs.
To make recommendations to decision making bodies (i.e. DLT, SC) regarding all aspects of our learning system from curriculum, to assessment, to grading practices and most things in between.
To review and pass along recommendations on all matters related to Curriculum, Assessment, and Instruction prior to changes in these areas being made.
To review professional development plans and ensure alignment to our strategic plan.
To communicate both internally and externally to all stakeholders in order to make clear the expectations of our learning system and how it all works together across the K-12 continuum.
As you can probably tell by reading these overviews, there is A LOT of important work going on in these committees on behalf of the students in Gorham. That is why I wanted to make sure everyone knew they exist. I also want to make sure folks know how to follow along with the work of these committees if you would like to.
Please click on the links below for each Committee to follow their work. Most of these committees have what we call "running agendas and notes" which is one document where you can see meeting agendas with notes for those meetings. A few committees have a whole folder to look at and view. As is always the case you can also just reach out directly with questions!
Code of Conduct Revision Committee
PK-12 Alternative Education Vision Committee
Fiscal Sustainability Committee (Note: won't meet til February, 2024)
Anti-Racism & Equity Committee
Teaching & Learning Committee
Of note for those that may be interested - we will be seeking 2 parent/guardians from the Gorham Schools to serve on the Fiscal Sustainability Committee. I will wait until after the Holiday break to reach out and see who is interested more formally...but please be thinking if you are interested in serving and let me know if you are!
FOURTH COHORT OF EDUCATOR APPRENTICES GETTING READY TO START JANUARY 8, 2024!
To date we have had 28 Educator apprentices serving in our schools that were part of the three previous cohorts of apprentices. This program first began in August of 2022 and has grown very quickly!
So what is the Educator Apprentice program? It is a program to help people interested in a career in education earn a living as they learn. Participants can eventually become certified Ed. Tech. II's (in Phase I) or even continue on to become certified Ed. Tech.III's and Special Education Teachers (in Phase II).
Phase I of the program in partnership with Southern Maine Community College (SMCC) takes about 18 months to earn 61 college credits. This is done via a combination of traditional college classes but also via workplace learning experiences where participants demonstrate competencies to earn college credits! You begin here with a week long "bootcamp" course that introduces you to the program and allows you to earn 4 college credits. Once done with this, you will take one course every 10-12 weeks one night a week (typically on Mondays).
Phase II of the program in partnership with the University of Southern Maine (USM) takes at least another 2 years and allows participants to earn another 60 credits. This allows participants to end Phase II with a full Bachelors degree and certification to teach Special Education in Maine's public schools with a full 282 endorsement.
BOTH PHASES are done while individuals are working full time in schools, with full pay and with full benefits and within a reasonable time commitment.
And on top of all of this...the program provides for free tuition at this time too!
The Gorham Schools operates this program in collaboration with many of our neighboring school departments such as: MSAD 6, Scarborough School Department, South Portland School Department, Falmouth School Department, MSAD 15 and these partners are growing!
In Gorham alone we will be seeking 3 full time apprentice positions to begin January 8, 2024. Our partner school districts are also seeking additional apprentices. So if you are interested in this program - here's what you should do - ASAP:
1. Review the flyer below.
2. Go to the link/URL and register with SMCC. Please indicate which school you might be interested in working at. If you have no preference, that's fine too...we can help you find one!
3. Once you are registered with SMCC, they share your information with us. We will then reach out to you directly to identify which partner school you want to work in. Once we know this, we will direct you to that partner school's online application process where you will be asked to apply for the position.
4. Once you apply, you will go through a hiring process. If hired, you will then be prepared to begin your apprentice "bootcamp" the week of Jan. 8, 2024. You will start working in schools that next week and go from there!
It really is an incredible program that provides the right supports and the right schedule to earn your certifications and degree while working full time with pay, at no cost!
If you are interested - please follow the steps above to apply today! Feel free to spread the word!
UPDATE ON GHS EXTENDED LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES PROGRAM
At the last Regular School Committee meeting held on November 8, 2023 members of GHS's ELO program team presented an update on ELO's to the School Committee. What is an ELO might you ask? Watch the video and find out! You can also go to THIS LINK to learn more about ELO's at GHS!
GORHAM HIGH SCHOOL SPOTLIGHT ON TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM
At the last Regular School Committee meeting held on November 8, 2023 members of the Gorham High School Technology Department were asked to present on what learning looked like in their classrooms. I AM VERY SURE YOU WOULD BE SURPRISED! For those of you that may pine for the "good ole days" of Industrial Arts and making sure that children know how to hold a hammer...I think you might be impressed with what this program offers our young people here in Gorham!
I'd strongly encourage you to watch the presentation. It is about 30 minutes long...but oh so informative and students wrap it all up nicely at the end with their all important voices! The presentation starts under section 2.0 at the 30 minute and 15 second mark.
ASPIRE GORHAM NOVEMBER NEWSLETTER READY TO VIEW!
Please CLICK HERE to view the November newsletter for our Aspire Program! Always informative - such great work across all our schools and community!
FINAL CHANCE - SCHOOL NUTRITION SURVEY FOR THOSE THAT WANT TO ORDER SCHOOL LUNCH OFOR ANY UNPLANNED REMOTE LEARNING DAYS WE MAY HAVE THIS YEAR!
This link was shared earlier in the year by individual schools, but I wanted to give families ONE MORE CHANCE to complete the survey IF you are interested in having your child be provided a school lunch on any unplanned remote learning days we may have this year.
If you are NOT interested in having your child be provided a lunch on these days, no need to participate.
If you have ALREADY completed the survey - no need to do it again.
If you want lunches provided - click on the link below and provide the information requested:
As a quick recap...please know that we have FIVE traditional snow days built into our school calendar so we will use these FIRST. Then, if we use those five and still have an unplanned snow day...we will move to remote learning days so that we do not have to extend the last day of school in June. For those of you that may be wondering the two days we had to cancel school in October have been waived by the Maine Department of Education so we will not have to make those days up. This means we still have a full five traditional snow days to use this winter!
As always, any questions - please ask!
SCHOOL COMMITTEE MONTHLY REPORT TO
TOWN COUNCIL
Unless you are an avid "watcher" of Town Council meetings on GoCAT, you may not know that each month the School Committee chair delivers a report to the Town Council to keep them up to date on what is happening in our schools. This report has been an ongoing communication tool that the School Committee and Town Council have used for many years (at least 10 years that I know of).
Recently, it occurred to members of the Gorham School Committee that members of the public may not know we do this and that the information contained within these brief reports may be beneficial for folks to see. So, starting with this blog post and then each month thereafter, I will take a moment to link in the report shared with the Town Council.
The link to November's Report to the Town Council is below:
RECENT HONOR FOR ONE OF OUR GMS GIFTED & TALENTED STUDENTS...AND A QUICK STORY!
Mrs. Quimby, one of our talented (pun intended) Gifted & Talented teachers at GMS recently shared this incredible announcement with the GMS staff. I thought it warranted a little wider audience to congratulate one of our GMS students, Jessica Loiselle for her awesome achievement!
Jessica's pin design has been accepted to be the designed use for the Odyssey of the Mind World Competition Finals in 2024! This is awesome! Check out Mrs. Quimby's blog post LINKED HERE to learn more! Nice job Jessica!
Also, while I'm on the subject of our Gifted and Talented students - I wanted to share this cool little story. GMS students were asked to write a two sentence horror story for a competition. The stories are shared, judged, ranked and celebrated. I think this is incredible work for two reasons (1) I have no idea how anyone can write anything in that short a time period - clearly if you read my blogs you know what I am talking about! I am in awe of their brevity! (2) the depth of these very short stories is awesome and worth sharing!
Here are the winners from each grade (shared with permission of the authors):
6th grade winner: Riley Peters
I just had a terrible nightmare, and wake up to the absence of color that is a blind person’s life, when I hear my mother’s voice say “Don’t worry, it was just a dream.” My mom died 13 years ago today.
7th grade winner: Max Moreno
My husband asked what kind of meat was in our soup. Funny that he didn't notice that our two kids weren't at dinner that night.
8th grade winner: Dexter Vance
The driver of my Uber was utterly silent, only talking at the beginning of the ride, saying that he was locking the doors from the outside “for your own safety.” I heard my phone ding and checked it; it was from Uber; the message said: “I’m out front.”
TOWN OF GORHAM TREE LIGHTING
Just wanted to send a quick notice out there to folks that may be interested that the annual Tree Lighting and Light parade will be happening on November 26, 2023 starting at 4:00 p.m. at the Gorham Municipal center. Its a great family event. Hope to see you there!
Well that is all the space I have for this blog post. My next post will be Dec.1 after the Thanksgiving break. As we think about the upcoming holiday it always provides us a moment to pause and think about what we are truly grateful for. I know I am truly grateful to be able to work with the students, staff, and families of this great community! I hope you all enjoy your upcoming break! GO RAMS!
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